


yeah, i know

by catgrrld



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/M, I Love You, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, RiverClan (Warriors), Short & Sweet, gift for alex :), i hope this makes you happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28562667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catgrrld/pseuds/catgrrld
Summary: redfreckle loves moonpebble. moonpebble knows.
Relationships: moonpebble/redfreckle
Kudos: 4





	yeah, i know

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cupofshiba](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cupofshiba/gifts).



> this is might be a little out of character/non canon compliant but i wanted to make you smile so :) hehe

The grey freckled she-cat was late in her returning that evening, the first rays of sunlight seeming to be only moments from appearing over the horizon. She had only intended to be at the Moonpool with her fellow medicine cats for a short time, as there wasn't much news to share, but the time had slipped through her slender paws.

Now, as she entered the RiverClan camp, she had little interest in attempting to get a good night's worth of sleep in. The she-cat was restless, longing for someone to stay awake and talk the remaining hours of darkness away with her.

Luckily for Moonpebble, she didn't have to wait long for the perfect opportunity to arise as she caught sight of a dark ginger pelt, a jarring contrast from the star-speckled night sky. She raised her eyebrows and approached the tom, a quizzical gleam in her green eyes.

"What are you doing awake at this hour?" she spoke softly, as so not to wake any of her clanmates.

The red tom jumped, his prickled fur lying flat after he realised who it was.

He offered a friendly purr in greeting. "I could ask you the same thing!" he teased, making no effort to lower his voice as she had done moments ago. "No, really. Where were you? Very suspicious to sneak around at this hour, don'cha think?"

Moonpebble rolled her eyes, batting at his ears playfully. "You know I'm a medicine cat, Redfreckle, there's nothing _suspicious_ about me leaving camp at all. Now, what were you up to? You didn't answer my question."

"Erm," Redfreckle hesitated, avoiding meeting her gaze. "I wanted a.. fish. I was hungry."

The sleek-furred cat narrowed her eyes and parted her jaws to taste the air.

"Odd," she mused. "I don't smell any fish. You seem like you've been awake for ages, otherwise you'd have that sleepy voice you do."

His fur fluffed up defensively. "What do you mean my _sleepy voice_!" He huffed.

"Yeah. When you first wake up you mumble a lot. It's kind of endearing, don't worry."

Redfreckle blinked, attempting to process whatever she had just said.

"Did you just say it's c-"

"No time for questions, you still haven't answered mine," she interrupted. "What were you honestly doing awake? Are you having trouble sleeping? I can give you poppy seeds for that, you know, all you had to do was ask."

Redfreckle licked his chest fur to disguise his looming sense of embarrassment. "I.. was lonely. Kind of."

Moonpebble found herself caught slightly off-guard by his sudden display of vulnerability, gazing at the fluffy tom thoughtfully.

"Who were you missing?"

He looked up at her with his wide yellow eyes that could melt the frozen river. "That's classified information."

She couldn't help but stare in wonder- and for a heartbeat, their eyes met, the words neither cat held the confidence to say suffocating in the air between them. Moonpebble longed to tell him, she wanted him to know, she _needed_ to know if he reciprocated her feelings. Did he have the same intentions and plans as she carried for their friendship? Was he aware of the countless evenings she'd wasted, laying in her moss nest and daydreaming of the life they could have together?

If only one of them possessed the reckless and unapologetic courage.

"..I missed you, okay?"

Moonpebble had anticipated his response, but it still caused the familiar sensation of butterflies in her chest- and this time, she embraced it. Her face grew hot beneath her pelt. The warmth was not so scary to her anymore.

"Is that so?" she murmured, leaning forward and bending down to rub her head across the underside of his chin. "Nice to know I'm appreciated around here," she joked, attempting to break through the awkward tension that still hung heavy over their shoulders.

Redfreckle masked his flustered state with a look of shock. "Does nobody thank you for everything you do? That's awful!"

She shrugged. _Nobody that matters, anyway._

”I mean, maybe. I just haven’t noticed before.”

The ginger tom seemed to relax at this. “You’re incredible, I.. hope I’m not the only one who can see it.”

Without another word, he padded in the direction of the medicine cat's den, which took her by surprise. Moonpebble had planned on staying awake, maybe even venturing out of the camp to gather some herbs and berries for her collection, but it appeared Redfreckle had expected her to want to sleep. Still, she longed to spend more time with him, and followed closely behind regardless of her own restlessness.

Warmth flooded Moonpebble’s chest as she watched the gentle rise and fall of Redfreckle’s ginger and white-speckled pelt. She was laying beside the tom, her eyes half-closed. She wasn't certain how long she stared at him, only that the she-cat was utterly fixated.

Suddenly, yellow eyes snapped open, a stupid grin spreading across the shorter cat's face.

Moonpebble startled. "Uh, hi.." she mumbled, looking away.

Redfreckle purred in amusement. "It's okay, I'd stare at me too," he joked.

"Go back to sleep before I kick you right out of this den- and I wasn't _staring_. I was _making observations_. One is creepy, the other is for knowledge purposes. Big difference."

"Uh-huh," he yawned sleepily. "Goodnight Moonpebble, love you, see you in the morning."

Her ears perked. "Did y-" she paused mid-sentence, debating whether she should bring attention to the phrase or not. _He's half asleep. He probably doesn't even understand a word that comes out of his mouth, right?_

She nuzzled his forehead with her snout. "Yeah, I know," she murmured. "Love you too."

For a while, all was still in RiverClan. The morning sun would begin to cast its friendly glow over the cats soon, but for now they rested, preparing for another day.

Redfreckle's eyes flickered open for another moment.

"Wait, what did you say?"


End file.
